Dangerous Secrets

There was a long pause. “Stalking?”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t want to get into the details.”

“Shit, man. I didn’t realize. I don’t know what to say.”

He didn’t expect his brother to say anything. If he could just convince Izzy to get out of Coconut Bay, she’d be out of harm’s way. And maybe he’d get a decent night’s sleep again. “There’s nothing to say. Tell me more about what Devlin said.”

“I’ll email you the details. I’ve been going over some new resumes but I want you to check out their credentials too before I add them to our database.”

“No problem.” He sighed after they disconnected. Leaving his brother with so much responsibility wasn’t fair. Adam knew that, and if the roles were reversed, he’d probably be annoyed too. The men they picked had to be reliable. Not only did they need the right background and training, they needed good credit and they needed to be able to leave within twenty-four hours sometimes. Since they were using contract employees their database had to be up to date at all times.

He hung back as Izzy stacked her copies together and stuck everything into her purse. His hand itched to dial Edward Ballantine, but what if the old man told her everything?

Adam immediately dismissed the thought. He might be ten kinds of stupid to stay, knowing things were going to end badly, but in the end, what choice did he really have? He couldn’t risk leaving Izzy unprotected.

Chapter Six

Izzy couldn’t explain the sense of liberation at what she’d done. It was small, but to think she might actually be stopping someone from hurting other women gave her a sense of pride. Something she hadn’t expected.

She certainly didn’t want to bartend the rest of her life, but she knew she couldn’t work for her father until some major things changed between them. After the way he’d interfered with her old job, she could only imagine what a nightmare it would be if she actually worked for his company.

Pushing those thoughts away, she slid the copies of the drawings into her purse. She joined Adam who was waiting near the exit with an unreadable expression on his handsome face.

“Ready to go?” she asked as she closed the gap between them.

His distracted smile made her wonder what had changed. Ever since she’d convinced him to come with her to Andrea’s, he’d been acting different.

Distant. And she couldn’t figure out why.

The balmy spring air hit them as they walked across the parking lot. “Do you regret what’s happened between us?” The words were out so fast she hadn’t realized she was even going to ask him. She hated when she did that. Think before you speak.  It was her mantra, but one she could never quite seem to remember.

His eyebrows knitted as he glanced at her, but the answer was immediate and firm. “No.”

The tension in her chest loosened a little. Adam wasn’t a liar. If it wasn’t that, then something else was going on with him. Maybe it had something to do with the phone call he’d taken. Either way, it didn’t matter. As long as he didn’t change his mind about being with her until he left, she didn’t care.

The sudden thought of him leaving sucked the air from her lungs. She knew he’d be gone soon, but the reality of having to give him up now that she’d had him was like a punch to the stomach.

She paused for a moment as he held open her car door. “Your mom certainly raised you right,”

she said as she slid into the passenger seat.

For a brief second, his dark eyes flashed with…something indefinable. Pain? It was there so quick, then it was gone. She wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. The door shut too quickly.

When he got into the driver’s seat, she thought about letting it drop, but her curiosity wouldn’t allow it. “You mentioned your brother and sister.”

He glanced at her as he started the engine.

“That’s not a question, Izzy.”

“I know.” She chewed on her bottom lip.

“If you’ve got a question, just ask it.”

“You never mentioned your parents.”

He rolled his shoulders in a casual motion, but it was obvious he was tense. “There’s nothing to tell. My grandmother raised us.”

“Oh.” He hadn’t satisfied her curiosity about his family, but she knew when to leave well enough alone.

Minutes later they pulled into the small downtown police station parking lot. Two squad cars and three non-marked vehicles were there.

Adam was out and around opening her door before she’d even gathered her stuff together.

The simple, square lobby of the one-story building was basically deserted. A row of empty chairs sat against two sage colored walls, and a woman Izzy vaguely recognized as an occasional patron of Mad Dog’s sat behind the receptionist’s desk.

She smiled when she saw them. “How can I help you?”

“We’re here to see either Detective Simmons or Dennis,” Izzy said.

“You’re in luck. Detective Dennis here. Who should I say is asking for him?” She picked up the phone and stared at her expectantly.

“Izzy Ballantine.”

Instead of sitting in one of the uncomfortable looking chairs, Izzy took a step back so the woman wouldn’t feel like they were crowding her.

Seconds later, a door she assumed led to the interior offices opened, and out stepped Detective Dennis. He was by himself.

“Is everything okay?” A slight frown marred his face as he glanced back and forth between them.

“I stopped by Andrea Barclay’s place this afternoon.” She pulled out a couple copies of her drawings. “I asked her to describe the man who tried to attack her Friday night. She’s seen him out before.”

Wordlessly, he took the papers and stared hard at the man’s face. After a long beat he looked up.

“You shouldn’t interfere with a police investigation. You could be putting yourself in danger.”

“You should be thanking me,” she muttered.

Izzy knew she was treading on thin ice. Andrea herself had admitted that she hadn’t remembered anything until this morning. Still, as far as Izzy knew, the general public still had no clue what was going on. Maybe they were following leads and hell, maybe they were stretched thin, but it was young women in her demographic being targeted. She couldn’t help it if she got riled up.

“Uh, Miss Ballantine?” The receptionist’s voice caused her to turn.

“Yes?”

“Can I have a copy of one of those?” Her voice cracked a little.

“No problem.”

The woman shot Detective Dennis a mutinous stare as she half stood and leaned over to grab one.

“Thank you for dropping this off.” He looked like he might say more but instead he just looked at the picture again and frowned.

When she felt Adam’s touch on her elbow then saw the look in his eyes, they made a hasty exit toward the door.

The fresh air had a somewhat soothing effect when they stepped outside.

She chewed on her bottom lip as they pulled out of the parking lot. Adam was still being quiet and she wanted to drag him out of whatever hole he’d fallen into. When she saw a sign for the beaches, she pointed. “Hey, turn right here.”

He shot her a questioning look, but made the turn. “Where are we headed?”

“The beach.”

“Might be a little too cold for swimming.”

Maybe or maybe not. It was late afternoon and neither of them worked on Monday nights so she figured he’d like the break. Unless he had other plans… “You can take me home if you’ve got stuff to do tonight.”

th He snorted as he turned right on 12 Street.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“After what happened today I’m not letting you out of my sight, darlin’.” The dominating note in his voice sent shivers skittering over her skin.

While the thought was appealing, she didn’t want him to feel like he had to babysit her. As if he read her thoughts, he continued. “I’m also not letting you out of my sight for a lot of other reasons.”

The sexy way his mouth lifted at the corners sent her heart into overdrive. It was hard to think straight around him. Why hadn’t she met him when she’d been living in Savannah? Hell, she might have never left if she’d had a man like that in her bed. She mentally shook her head in an attempt to push away the thought. Where had that idea come from anyway? This was supposed to be a fling. Nothing more.

Something she needed to remind herself of.

Adam was leaving soon. Getting attached would only bring her grief.

“Want to park by the pier?” His deep voice cut into her thoughts.

She cleared her throat. “Sure.”

The parking lot was filling up, but she doubted it was with people rushing to the beach. Probably early birds eating at the restaurant on the pier.

Coconut Bay had an odd mix of elderly people and college students so most restaurants and bars did pretty well. They got an early rush and a late rush all year round. Couldn’t beat that kind of steady business.

Izzy left her purse in the car, but tucked it under the front seat. There might not be much crime—current events notwithstanding—but she didn’t want to tempt the fates.

“You never mentioned what part of Louisiana you’re from,” she said as they strolled down the wooden planks.

He was silent for a solid moment until they reached the sand. As he bent down to take off his shoes, he answered. “New Orleans.”

The simple answer spoke volumes. Pain echoed behind his words. She slipped off her sandals and fell into step with him as they headed down to the ocean. “Were you there for Hurricane—”

Before she could finish he cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. “No. I’d just returned from overseas. I’d barely been home a week.

We—my brother and sister—left before it hit.

Took us weeks to get back in the city though.